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The power of poverty
Some people hate crows. Some people hate cockroaches. I hate poverty. It deprives. It disempowers. And it destroys. Poverty deprives millions of children around the world of healthcare, good nutrition...
View ArticleWhat’s your favourite way to holiday?
I just got back from a very short break that took me to one of my favourite Malaysian haunts: Kota Kinabalu. I had returned to a place I discovered last year, a relatively unknown gem close to the...
View ArticleHelp us get one more
It was quite an experience last week when I watched Mel Gibson’s remarkable Hacksaw Ridge, the Oscar-nominated biographical film in which Andrew Garfield stars as World War II hero Desmond Doss. (Some...
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Celebrating the women in her life
My mother passed away nine years ago. I remember feeling rudderless when she left us. Without any parents left to reprimand and guide me (dad had died of a heart attack three decades ago), my life...
View ArticleSo, we’re happy… but what does it mean?
In the World Happiness Report 2017, Singapore was placed 26th, while Thailand was at 32. Japan came in at 51. Norway came in first, pushing Denmark into second place this year. The Danes were “winners”...
View ArticleCan eating nangka seeds save the world?
Walking into the kitchen this morning, I found my better half finishing his breakfast, a pile of jackfruit (nangka) seeds neatly piled in the plastic container they came in. Usually this goes into the...
View ArticleWhat are your Hari Raya memories like?
In the midst of the mind-numbing routine of driving to work, a familiar song comes on the radio. “Berlalulah sudah Ramadan sebulan berpuasa / Tiba Syawal kita rayakan dengan rasa gembira.” (Ramadan and...
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Falling down a manhole with Kim Jae-joong
Come Aug 9, I will be glued to the screen watching a Korean drama. To be honest, I am not really a Korean drama fan. The only series I’ve completed watching is Autumn In My Heart. That was way back in...
View ArticleThe art of making lifelong friends when you’re older and wiser
I am a late bloomer in almost all aspects of my life. I bought my first house at a relatively later age than most of the people I know. I only started to work out several years ago. And it wasn’t until...
View ArticleTouché: How will we be remembered 1,000 years from now?
It’s a terrible cliche to say that visiting the temple ruins of Siem Reap in Cambodia is a fascinating experience, so I won’t, even though it is. What the visit gave me that lasted after the awe and...
View ArticleShe’s breaking out of prison and finding her passion again
When I first started working at The Star almost 28 years ago, I loved coming in to the office. This was my dream job after all – I had always wanted to be a journalist and I was ever so lucky that...
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Touche: Rolling down the hills on a Segway and not hurting anyone
I don’t drive. Actually, I can’t drive. I have no idea how a car works apart from the fact that most cars need petrol to get the engine running, and that you need to push some pedals to get the car to...
View ArticleTouche: What stories could my ancestors have told me?
The story goes that while still a young man in China, my paternal great-grandfather fell gravely ill one day, then died soon after. Wrapped in a simple white cloth, his body was being carried by the...
View ArticleTouche: Can you look beyond the stereotype?
The nurse had just put in those eye drops that dilate the pupils so the doctor can check your eyes. Knowing from past experience that it takes my particularly insensitive pupils a long time to open up,...
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Touché: I quit my job mid-career and it made my work better
I doubt wisdom has increased proportionately with my age (the waist size, though, is a different story), but I feel I’ve had enough experience in life to state a few things with certainty. Here’s one:...
View ArticleManners maketh man, and Malaysian moviegoers too
“Manners maketh man.” That’s the famous line by British secret service agent Harry Hart, played by Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth, in the 2014 movie Kingsman: The Secret Service and its 2017 sequel...
View ArticleTouché: When mobile phones get in the way of studies and daily life
On a recent workday, I had forgotten to bring my mobile phone with me to the office. I had left it charging at home when I walked out the front door. As soon as I got to my work station, I saw a pink...
View ArticleWaiting for a love that never comes
A few months ago, a friend wrote a Facebook post on being single and not finding love that struck a big chord with me. You see, I hit the big four-O this year, marking my undeniable entry into middle...
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Touché: Pokemon Go superfan says virtual game offers life lessons
“What?! You’re still playing that game?” My husband was astounded when he spotted me trying to catch (virtual) creatures while at the shopping mall one weekend. Yes, I admit that I still do play the...
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